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The 30th annual WWE Survivor Series, the second-longest-running pay-per-view event in WWE history, takes place Sunday at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. The event traditionally features 4-on-4 or 5-on-5 elimination tag team matches, and this year's event will see the men, women and tag teams from Raw and SmackDown Live compete against each other in three traditional Survivor Series matches. The first Survivor Series took place in 1987 in Richfield, Ohio. The main event saw Andre the Giant's team defeat Hulk Hogan's team in a 5-on-5 elimination tag team match where Andre was the "sole survivor." This year's main event features Brock Lesnar against Goldberg, who returns to a WWE ring for the first time in 12 years. Survivor Series will be the fifth WWE pay-per-view event to take place in Toronto and the first since Unforgiven in 2006. This is the first time Survivor Series has emanated from Canada since 1997, an event infamous for the "Montreal Screwjob" involving Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon. Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg Survivor Series will be a rematch of the WrestleMania XX bout in 2004 where Goldberg defeated Lesnar. That match was the final appearance for both men in their initial WWE runs. Lesnar would leave WWE to pursue a career in the NFL, and Goldberg also chose not to sign a new contract with WWE. Sunday will be Lesnar's first Survivor Series match since 2003 and the only one of the "Big 4" pay-per-view events in which he has never won a match. It was at Survivor Series in 2002 where Lesnar was pinned for the first time in his career, losing the WWE World Championship to the Big Show. Then in 2003, "Team Angle" defeated "Team Lesnar" in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series match.
Lesnar has won six of his past seven 1-on-1 pay-per-view matches, including each of the past four. The lone loss in that span came to The Undertaker at SummerSlam last year, a controversial bout where the referee did not see The Undertaker tapping out to Lesnar's kimura lock. Lesnar has not been pinned at a pay-per-view event since losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 29 in April 2013. Goldberg is one of two WWE superstars that Lesnar has faced in a 1-on-1 pay-per-view match but never defeated (also 0-1 versus Eddie Guerrero). Goldberg also looks to join John Cena as the only WWE superstars to hold multiple 1-on-1 pay-per-view victories against Lesnar (Cena is 2-2 against Lesnar). Survivor Series will be Goldberg's ninth career WWE pay-per-view match. Assuming this match closes the show, it will be the seventh time he has main-evented a pay-per-view event. Only Hogan had more main event matches within his first 10 WWE pay-per-view appearances (8).
Men's 5-on-5 elimination match: Raw vs. SmackDown LiveRosters: Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman for Raw; AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Shane McMahon for SmackDown. This will not be the first time that the Raw and SmackDown brands battle in a traditional Survivor Series match. In 2005, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw in a match where Orton was the "sole survivor" for SmackDown. While Team SmackDown Live has won more combined world titles (led by Orton's 12), Team Raw has won more overall championships in WWE. The members of Team Raw are a combined 5-1 in traditional Survivor Series matches, while the members of Team SmackDown Live are a combined 5-4.
Jericho is 3-0 in traditional Survivor Series matches. If Team Raw wins on Sunday, Jericho will tie Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior and Cena for the most such matches without a loss in WWE history (all 4-0). Reigns is 3-1 at Survivor Series, including 1-0 in traditional Survivor Series matches. Reigns' lone loss at Survivor Series occurred last year when Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Reigns for the WWE World Championship. This will be Orton's ninth career traditional Survivor Series match, tying Kane for second-most in WWE history (Shawn Michaels - 11). Orton has been a "survivor" for the winning team four times, tied with Hogan and Ultimate Warrior for the most in WWE history. Orton and Ultimate Warrior are the only superstars in WWE history that have been the "sole survivor" for the winning team on three separate occasions. Orton did so in each of his first three career Survivor Series matches in 2003-05.
This will be the first traditional Survivor Series match for Owens, Strowman, Styles, Wyatt and Corbin. Styles, Corbin and Strowman are also making their Survivor Series debuts.
Women's 5-on-5 elimination match: Raw vs. SmackDown LiveRosters: Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax and Alicia Fox for Raw; Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Naomi for SmackDown. Sunday will not be the first time that the women from the Raw and SmackDown brands battle in a traditional Survivor Series match. In 2008, Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown in a match where Beth Phoenix was the "sole survivor" for Raw. The five members of Team Raw have won a combined six women's championships, led by Charlotte's three title reigns. Team SmackDown has won a combined three women's titles. While Charlotte is a perfect 13-0 in pay-per-view title matches, she is just 2-2 in tag team matches at pay-per-view events. Fox is the only member of Team Raw that has previously competed in a traditional Survivor Series match. She is 1-2 in such matches, most recently in 2014 when "Team Fox" defeated "Team Paige" in a clean sweep. Bella is 2-0 at Survivor Series, including a victory in a 7-on-7 traditional Survivor Series match in 2013 where she was one of three "survivors" for "Team Total Divas." Naomi is also 2-0 at Survivor Series, with both wins coming in traditional Survivor Series matches in 2013-14. Banks, Bayley, Jax, Lynch, Bliss and Carmella are all making their Survivor Series debuts. Banks has lost each of her past three pay-per-view matches, the longest losing streak of her career. All three matches were for the Raw women's championship. Survivor Series will be Lynch's first pay-per-view appearance since becoming the inaugural SmackDown Live women's champion at Backlash in September. She seeks to win consecutive pay-per-view matches for the first time in her career.
10-on-10 elimination tag team match: Raw vs. SmackDown LiveRosters: The New Day, Cesaro & Sheamus, Gallows & Anderson, Enzo Amore & Big Cass and The Shining Stars for Raw; Heath Slater & Rhyno, The Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos and Breezango for SmackDown. This will be the third 10-on-10 traditional Survivor Series match in WWE history and the first since 1988. Each of the first two Survivor Series events in 1987-88 featured such a match, pitting teams of five tag team duos against each other. At Survivor Series, The New Day will have been Raw Tag Team Champions for 455 days, the second-longest tag title reign in WWE history. Only Demolition (Ax and Smash) have held a tag team championship longer.
This will be Kingston's seventh career traditional Survivor Series match, more than any other superstar in this match. Sheamus is 3-3 all time at Survivor Series, and Sunday will be his fourth career traditional Survivor Series matches. However, his most memorable Survivor Series moment occurred last year when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Reigns for the WWE World Championship. The Usos are the only members of Team SmackDown Live that have previously competed in a traditional Survivor Series match (1-1). Heath Slater is 2-1 all time at Survivor Series, the only WWE pay-per-view event in which he has multiple victories. He is a combined 3-14 at all other pay-per-view events. Gallows & Anderson, Enzo Amore & Big Cass, American Alpha, Rhyno and Mojo Rawley are all making their Survivor Series debuts. American Alpha is 2-0 at WWE pay-per-view events, both of which were multi-tag team bouts. They won a 12-man tag team match at SummerSlam, and won an 8-man tag team match at No Mercy.
WWE Intercontinental championship: The Miz (c) vs. Sami Zayn This will be the seventh time that the Intercontinental championship has been defended at Survivor Series and the first time since 2013. A new champion was crowned in two of the previous six matches: Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart for the belt in 1997 while Edge defeated Test in 2001 to unify the Intercontinental and United States titles. On SmackDown Live on Tuesday, The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler to win the Intercontinental title, which may be a good thing for Zayn. He is 3-0 all time against The Miz in 1-on-1 matches, most recently defeating him on the May 9 episode of Raw.
WWE cruiserweight championship: Brian Kendrick (c) vs. KalistoSurvivor Series will be the first-ever meeting between Kendrick and Kalisto. If Kalisto wins the Cruiserweight championship, SmackDown Live will gain possession of the entire WWE cruiserweight division. After defeating TJ Perkins for the title in October, Kendrick now seeks to win consecutive pay-per-view singles matches for the first time in his career. Survivor Series will be Kalisto's first pay-per-view appearance since Money in the Bank in June. He recently missed three months of action due to injury. Last year in his Survivor Series debut, Kalisto teamed with Sin Cara, Ryback and The Usos to defeat The New Day, Sheamus and Wade Barrett in a traditional Survivor Series match.
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